13: The Baptism in the Spirit (Part Five)

We may say that from the perspective of the Jews there were, in a sense, only two people groups, Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). God saw fit, however, to give a separate baptism-in-the-Spirit experience to the first Samaritan converts, treating them as a separate people group or kind of ethnicity. Now God is ready to go for this next big, huge people group, the Gentiles.

10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion… ² …devout and God-fearing… ³ … he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!” …⁴ …“Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 

⁹ About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. ¹⁰ …he fell into a trance. ¹¹ He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. ¹² It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. ¹³ Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” ¹⁴ “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” ¹⁵ The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” ¹⁶ This happened three times…

¹⁹ While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. ²⁰ So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”

²⁴ The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ^… 29… ^“May I ask why you sent for me?”… ³³ So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” ⁴⁸ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Once again, Peter, to whom Jesus has given the keys to the kingdom (Matthew 16:19), is the one summoned by God to preach to the Gentiles. And Peter has brought witnesses with him. It is important to notice that Cornelius and his household all believe and receive the Spirit (the phrase used is the Spirit “came upon” them) and give manifestations of the Spirit in their lives, all before they are water baptized. They are Spirit-baptized before they are water-baptized. They don’t ask to be baptized in the Spirit. It is a sovereign act of God upon their belief.

In this case God does give tangible signs, particularly speaking in languages they didn’t know and praising God. This gives supreme evidence to Peter and his companions that these Gentiles have genuinely become Christians and can be water-baptized. Now all three people groups on earth have had a Spirit-baptism experience at the hands of the apostle Peter.

There is only one more account of Spirit baptism in Acts.